Previews for Steven Levenson's new play Days of Rage begin tomorrow, Tuesday, October 9, 2018, at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater. Days of Rage is set for a limited run currently through Sunday, November 25, 2018, and the cast includes Mike Faist, Tavi Gevinson, J. Alphonse Nicholson, Lauren Patten and Odessa Young. Levenson is the Tony Award-winning writer of Dear Evan Hansen.
Wow. It’s incredibly poweeedul and timely and wow. I’m reminded of how little I know of the world around me. This is an important play. I personally really liked it but also felt disgusted by how little I know.
I don’t think it’s a 30 Under 30 afterparty. Mike Faist was letting people know about the 30 Under 30 program, as well as the afterparty on 10/10. Two separate things.
dearalanaaaa said: "And do actors there stagedoor?"
There really isn't a stagedoor there but Mike Faist came out the door outside of the main doors with his hood up and just walked off. Lauren Patten and the other 3 came out the main doors and chatted with people. I was there to see Lauren so I only talked to her.
I really enjoyed it. It was a lot funnier than I expected but the serious scenes were intense. I had a few issues hearing what they were saying since they don't have mics. Especially in scenes which 3 or 4 of them are all yelling at the same time. Every time Mike Faists character would tell Lauren Pattens character that she was his best friend I couldn't help but think of her saying that to Frankie in Jagged Little Pill before You Oughta Know started. The music for the scene changed made me jump out of my skin each time. It was so dang loud.
mailhandler777 said: "theaterwiz414 said: "To be fair, there is a sign to the left of the stairs that says that the production includes cigarette use and loud noises."
I didn't see it. Even if I did I'd still jump from that scene change music...lol."
Totally understand. I’m surprised I didn’t because I was sitting so close! I hope you loved it though!
theaterwiz414 said: "mailhandler777 said: "theaterwiz414 said: "To be fair, there is a sign to the left of the stairs that says that the production includes cigarette use and loud noises."
I didn't see it. Even if I did I'd still jump from that scene change music...lol."
Totally understand. I’m surprised I didn’t because I was sitting so close! I hope you loved it though!"
I was up top. Yes I loved it. Will be back after it opens.
I just got back from the show and I very much enjoyed it. Very tightly written, engaging, poignant, and often quite funny. I appreciated seeing a play about young people where they actually felt like fully fleshed out individuals instead of just archetypes and stereotypes.
All 5 actors were excellent, including Tavi Gevenson, who was actually a standout in an already-strong ensemble. I enjoyed her performance in The Crucible well enough, but up until tonight, I still couldn't get her performance in This is Our Youth (which was a complete and utter misfire) out of my head. I'm happy to say though that she has officially won me over.
Just came home: I think I enjoyed it, but I didn't understand many of the cultural aspects of it. I learned about the Vietnam War in school but I couldn't really connect or empathize with any of the characters. I loved the acting, I loved the set, everything was perfect; I'm just not the target age group it seems. I'd see it again though! And the "party" was a bunch of cheese and sandwiches, but I ate it alright, and even saw the lady playing Peggy! Beautiful job to everybody involved. Maybe by the end of previews, there will be a guide with a bit of backstory in the playbill, otherwise, you'll leave dissatisfied if you don't know too much about the war.
Hmm...I'll have to disagree with you there. I wouldn't call myself an expert on the Vietnam war by any means. Most of what I know is the very basics (the US went in, it was controversial, the draft was a big thing, etc.) and I felt like I followed it just fine. Did I catch every nuance of the political landscape presented in the play? Unlikely, but I personally didn't feel like it was all that necessary to understand all of it. The point was the anger and frustration, the feeling of immediacy, the need to take action in the face of injustice.
I was there last night and have to be a dissenting opinion and say I was unimpressed. The pacing is pretty deadly and the contrast of the loud scene change music with the very soft dialogue grew on my nerves as the evening went on.
The problem for me is that the show felt long and short at the same time. Just as any scene seemed to be getting started we had moved on to the next one. Obviously I see the parallels to modern day times and I think they are certainly touching on themes that feel relevant. “Sometimes the loudest voice in the room is the one that people listen to.” Is a line that certainly stuck out to me.
While much of the audience found it funny, I did only got a few chuckles, mainly a the bit about the FBI. Of all the actors, I thought J. Alphonse Nicholson came off the best and had a nice chemistry with Lauren Patton.
Overall, I was disappointed that it just didn’t amount to much. I felt like it ended with a shrug and felt much longer than the 90 minute runtime.
dearalanaaaa said: "I didn't understand many of the cultural aspects of it. I learned about the Vietnam War in school but I couldn't really connect or empathize with any of the characters."
I had the same problem with Kinky Boots since I never worked in a boot factory or had my heels keep breaking off during drag shows.
We saw this last night, and having previously enjoyed Dear Evan Hansen, we wanted to see Steven Levenson's new work. Despite being set in the 1960s, it had some timely themes regarding politics, race and relationships. Mike Faist was great, playing a character very different from Connor Murphy, who begins as somewhat of a peacemaker but shows different colors as the play goes on. We loved J.Alphonse Nicholson as well, whose character Hal added both humor and rationality - totally likable and strong performance. Lauren Patton was very earnest and Odessa Young was convincingly stubborn and reactionary. I will be the dissenter here and say that I was not as crazy about Tavi Gevenson - her performances always seem a bit over the top to me - more caricature than character - and not as natural as the other cast members, but I felt the same way about her in The Crucible, so perhaps I just don't care for her style of acting. Despite this, we felt the cast as a whole worked well together and that the play kept us invested and entertained for the whole 90 minutes. We were in the 4th row and had no trouble with the music being too loud nor the actors being too soft. The sets and costumes were well done, and my 15 year old had no trouble following the politics of the plot. Gave us lots to talk about after the show. Would recommend!
I attended the matinee performance of Days of Rage today and really enjoyed the production. The cast was perfect together. The story felt current in the surreal times that we are living through right now. As I was not alive during the Vietnam War era, the characters embodied the uncertainty that I'm sure many people felt at the time... and probably still do. I am quite glad that I did not miss this production.
I had written this off because of the meh reviews, yet suddenly was thinking I should check this out today before it closes. But ultimately I think I'd rather not sit through another mediocre play and even moreso, in those uncomfortable seats at second stage.
joined:10/13/15
joined:
10/13/15
Posted: 10/8/18 at 5:46pm